Transparency
by Joeneauxvieve
Summary: Couffaine, the famous hunter-for-hire family tasked to vanquish shapeshifters. After all, there's no room for beasts in this world. Imagine what would happen if they knew that no one in the family is human. [Cover image will change in the near future.]
1. Spring

**A.N. So I haven't been on this site in a while. Surprise! Also, I've gotten myself into rarepair hell while I was away. Here's some Luka/Kagami!**

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Couffaine.

The famous family of hunters known for ridding the land of the shapeshifters that plagued it. Every one with the ability to transform into one other animal. Any animal from a miniscule insect to an enormous wolf or reptile.

It was hard to believe that less than three decades ago there was only one Couffaine.

Anarka single handedly removed hundreds of shifters from within and around human settlements when she outgrew her teen years. Once she brought her son and daughter into the world, they learned the skills of their mother. As a result, the amount of shapeshifters that populated the lands of the humans became fewer and further between at much faster rates.

The beginning of Anarka's mission was far from easy. She needed to build a reputation for herself. Many hunters have killed shifters in the past, but deciphering who they were among those without the abilities was difficult with human senses.

There was an advantage Anarka carried that other hunters lacked. She isn't human, and neither are her children.

The enhanced senses of her animal form lingered in her human disguise. The magic in her veins made this possible, as well as sensing a kinship of similar magic with other shifters, regardless of what their other form was.

She learned to harness the ability, sometimes being capable of sensing other shifters from considerable distances. She tracked down shifters more efficiently than any other hunter, and the humans loved her for it.

Anarka and her children never boasted any kills because they had no kills to boast about. They'd take their targets to the outskirts of the land the humans called home. Where a hidden, safe oasis resided. A grove where other shifters recovered and thrived until they were ready to go back out to the outside. While they weren't welcome by everybody outside the grove, it was still considered home to many.

The bounties the Couffaines collected always went towards providing for the shifters they brought to safety and looked after. Anarka taught both of her children to track, and the three of them collectively helped more shifters than any other hunter who managed to neutralize any.

They were the 'hunters' everyone wanted to hire.

The family of three would spend their days combing the lands. Anarka, Luka and Juleka would seek out any new bounties placed on the heads of others like themselves.

As was routine, they trekked in different directions, Luka traveling east while Juleka headed west. This way they'd collectively cover much more land. He let dark green and blue scales envelop his body as his arms fused to his sides. Within seconds, the famed hunter was nowhere in sight. A viper took his place, slithering eastbound soundlessly.

He lost track of how many hours passed by the time he reached the quaint, moss-covered tavern. Luka recognized the road next to the stone walls and wooden door. It was a path he walked along many times in his youth. He was only a few miles west of the eastern border.

He entered the single-room building, ignoring the eyes that followed him as he traded a chipped silver coin for a small cup of clear liquid. The transparency of the beverage was the keeper's indicator that someone was waiting to make a deal with him. The figure behind the counter motioned their head to Luka's left. He glanced in the same direction and took notice of a woman with black hair sitting at the corner most table of the room.

He took a seat across from her. The old wood of the low stool creaked as he placed his weight on it. Upon getting a closer look at her, the first thing he found his attention drawn to was the black cloth that covered her eyes.

"How can I help you?" Luka began.

"I have a proposition for you," she replied. "Is four hundred silvers enough?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"In brief, my daughter isn't welcome in our village," her voice dropped to barely above a whisper. Luka leaned in to make it seem he needed to hear her better, but quickly undid the action when the woman sharply spoke "I know you can hear me quite well. Serpentine creatures have keen hearing, after all."

His eyes widened in silent shock and confusion, but she continued her story.

"She has trouble controlling herself. Sometimes she's unaware that she's shifting until it's already too late. Two days ago, several people witnessed her, and she was reported. I offered to help her escape, but she ran away before accepting or rejecting it. I know she did that to protect her father and myself."

As intrigued as Luka was, one question burned deep in his mind. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I know the rouse your family puts up. You agree to hunt your own kind for money, but none of you have one drop of blood on your hands."

Luka was dumbfounded. Struggling to keep his voice low, he managed to softly speak "my own kind?".

"Yes, but your secret is safe with me." She put a slim felt pouch on the table between them, opened it up and withdrew a folded piece of paper. "Open your hand for me."

Luka obliged. The woman tipped the open pouch, causing two scarlet scales to fall into his gloved palm. The perfume they carried was intense. Luka concluded that whatever creature the shifter's non-human form wasse scales came from was incredibly powerful.

"Her scales?" he asked while examining the them.

"Yes," she answered. "This is the most recent portrait of her I have," she placed the folded paper next to his empty cup.

He opened the document and observed the charcoal sketch of a young woman. While her profile may not have been colored on paper, it was heavily detailed and well-shaded. Her hair was dark, but long. Her irises were a fairly light hue, as well. Between this and the scales, he had more than enough information needed to identify her.

"Answer me this, if you don't mind. People always approach my mother, my sister or me to have shifters killed. She may be your daughter, but that has not stopped people from hiring us in the past. Why are you trusting me with this task?"

The woman said nothing.

"How do you know you can trust me?" Luka repeated.

She sighed, her expression unchanged. "If she expresses any doubt about who you are, show her those items. I only ask that my daughter is safe. I'd give anything if it meant she'd be out of danger and happy."

Luka rose from his seat, taking the scales and picture with him. "You have my word," he assured her.

He left the building with those last words, still baffled that someone wanted to hire him with incorrupt intentions. How the woman knew about the 'hunting' rouse was well beyond him, yet his instincts kept insisting that he could trust her.

Luka picked up the same scent of the scales within the air. He locked onto it and made haste towards it.

Luka followed the faint scent of chilled mist that lingered in the air. As he moved towards it, it grew stronger and stronger. He followed it into the mountains that lied in the heart of the eastern lands. His search brought him to a spring far deeper than its diameter.

Luka was certain that a shifter's presence was close. Far closer and larger than what his human eyes were able to detect.

The skies above him rumbled. Clouds grew denser and darker, winds grew louder as they came from every direction. The earth quaked under him, and the water of the spring shot upwards like a geyser, forcing Luka to shield his body with his back, clad in dark green and blue scales.

When the water stopped falling, he faced what stood before him. An enormous serpentine creature gazed down at him with a look of fear masked by anger. It's body rose from the water and was covered in scarlet scales. Golden spines decorated the center of its back and the edges of its face. Whiskers as black as the starless sky grew from its head.

Luka was face-to-face with a dragon.

"You're unarmed," the dragon spoke. The words emboldened by the echo of the surrounding mountains. "What type of hunter kills its prey without a weapon?"

"I don't intend to harm you."

"You wear the clothes of a hunter, yet you're like me," the dragon boomed. "Why are you here?" Its voice grew more stern, scales flaring outward.

"I was sent by your mother," he responded. The creature's large eyes widened. "And yes, in a way, we are the same." Luka's pupils narrowed as his irises nearly covered the entirety of both eyes and dark blue and green scales trailed over the edges of his face.

The heavy winds settled, but the setting sun has yet to break through the looming clouds.

"I can take you to a place where you will be safe. You can stay as long as you need before returning home."

"My home no longer welcomes me." Silence passed between them, as if the dragon was searching for something on his person or in his eyes. "How can I be certain you aren't trying to gain my trust in order to carry out darker intentions?"

Luka withdrew the pouch he was given back at the tavern. Upon opening it, the perfume of the scales inside wafted up to the dragon. She recognized the scent as her own. The fine, golden emblem fused into the material the pouch was made of came from her old village as well.

The overcast clouds of the horizon dispersed, allowing the purple and orange beams of the setting sun break through.

The dragon vanished from his sight, but the water rose and fell as if an invisible force was climbing out of the surface. The spring stilled as soft footsteps came in his direction from behind.

Luka turned in his spot and the young woman from the portrait in his cloak stood before him. She was significantly shorter than he was, but appeared to be about the same age. Her face was identical to that of the sketch he was given, but her hair only fell to her jaw, the uneven ends indicating hasty attempts to cut her hair. Her split ends and clothes clung to her skin from the water they absorbed from the spring.

She looked up to meet his eyes. Her gaze still holding skepticism of his words. The breeze around them both intensified as her eyes narrowed.

Despite her expression and display of doubt, shifters were always inclined to trust other shifters.

For many, it was the only means of survival.

"You may not be a hunter, but you present yourself like one," she stated. Her arms hugged her own torso reflexively. Night was almost upon them and the sun's warmth was almost out of reach. "Forgive me for-..." she interjected herself. "How much did my mother tell you?"

"She told me you ran away and gave me some means to identify you with, but didn't tell me what your form was, or how she knew…" Luka trailed off.

"Knew what?"

"I'll explain everything on the way. I'd suggest we travel in our other forms. The night will be our cover."

She reluctantly took to the starless sky, following the viper that glided along the ground. As dawn approached, she landed soundlessly and both shifted into humans again.

They found a dry section of land, untouched by morning dew and growing warm as the sun touched it. After a whole night of travel, both were left exhausted.

"Did my mother give you my name?" drowsiness slipped through her voice. Her eyes were barely open as she laid on her side.

"No, I don't believe so. Why do you ask?"

"You haven't referred to me by it, so I began wondering if you knew it."

A pause passed through them again.

"Kagami."

Her eyes finally slipped closed.

"I'm Luka," he uttered before letting sleep overtake him.

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**Reviews are extremely appreciated! Any feedback/constructive criticism is, too!**

**This is my first attempt at worldbuilding, so bear with me guys. If you guys have any tips for me, I'd love to hear them!**

**I'm hoping to interact with readers as the story progresses. I'm not dead-set on a plot, so I'm leaning towards a series of mini-stories that take place in the same world. I'll explore different characters, pairings, events, locations, etc. I'm hoping to keep most of this fic focused on Luka and Kagami, but I'm not opposed to writing about some of the other cast, too. If there's anything you'd like to see with certain characters or something you want to know about the world, leave it in the reviews!**


	2. Grove (Spring pt 2)

**A.N. I've had this chapter written for a little while now. I'm still trying to put an outline together for the next one, but I'm nowhere near finishing it yet, or starting the next chapter. I post the chapters as I finish them on AO3, my username there is the same one as my username for this account if you wanna check it out.**

**This chapter is just a continuation from the first and picks up a few hours from where it left off.**

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The weather had been kind to them while they slept. Sunlight vaporized the water that seeped into their clothes and chased away the last fibre of cold that touched them during their night of travel.

Luka awoke as the warmth that bloomed under his cloak became unbearable. It wasn't until he rose to a sitting position that he realized his sweat had glued his jacket and undershirt to his back.

His memory came back to him as he regained balance onto his feet. Lightly patting his body down to make sure he still had everything that came with him. The less than comfortable sack of silver coins, a small pouch of food and the hidden bag containing Kagami's scales were accounted for. The last thing to check for was Kagami herself. She wasn't within his eyesight, but her presence was unmistakably nearby.

"I'm going to assume you will want these back." With gloved fingers, he reached in his cloak and retrieved the pouch with her scales and the charcoal portrait of her long-haired profile. He paused briefly and outstretched his arm backwards. Kagami took the contents from his light grasp.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Luka turned, met her eyes briefly and flashed a small smile. The corners of Kagami's mouth lifted the slightest amount before fixating back to its neutral state.

"We still have a bit of a way to go before we get to our destination. We should eat before heading off."

"I ate already," she cut in. "I ate the last of what I had before you woke up."

"I can look for some herbs if you need to eat more."

"I'm alright. I'm ready to go whenever you are. If you need energy, go eat something."

Luka quickly consumed his final ration of food. The tense silence was familiar, but not uncomfortable. Once he finished, the sky was dark enough for them to journey outward once again.

The viper led the way for the dragon. They travelled northbound, the moon growing larger as the hours passed. The forest grew thicker and taller as the clouds grew more dense. The smooth gliding of scales against blades of grass abruptly became ungraceful, human-like footsteps. Kagami descended to the forest floor, Golden spines became unkempt black locks and her own scales dissolved into flesh and fair skin. Her landing wasn't nearly as smooth as Luka's. Her transformation left her face contorted in pain and her legs were unable to keep her vertical. Luka held out a stiffened forearm to offer counter balance, which Kagami accepted.

"We're almost there. You'll get dry clothes, first thing," he acknowledged the slight dampness of her clothes. Kagami's arms clasped around her stomach again, a quivering exhale forced itself between her teeth.

"And a fire."

Kagami nodded.

"Would you like my cloak?"

"No, I'm quite alright. However, I appreciate the offer."

Luka didn't press on any more about it.

They continued for about twenty more paces. Luka halted at a gap between two thick trees that led to a small grove. He gestured towards it, allowing Kagami to go in ahead of him. She bowed in gratitude and stepped through the barrier.

Kagami wasn't sure what to expect when entering the empty grove. At first, there was only grass and trees surrounding the area. Her vision went blurry for a moment, then the grass that was under her bare soles was replaced with a well-worn trail. The nearest trees were hundreds of paces away. Two figures towered over her in uniforms she didn't recognize. She couldn't smell or sense Luka anywhere.

"_...-Mother?_"

Kagami recognized the voice behind her, but it spoke a tongue she didn't recognize.

"_...-quarter …-moon,_" one of the uniformed figures replied.

Luka and the other two individuals conversed briefly. Kagami was lost in the words they exchanged, only able to catch very few that were spoken. Between the sentences, glances were shot her way. Kagami attempted to retain her stoic posture and stonelike expression, but she couldn't deny the thundering heartbeat in her ears or the cold sweat on her neck. When the glances lingered for fractions of a moment longer, her breathing was becoming hard to control. She had no doubt that fine red scales covered portions of her face, too.

"Let's go," Luka uttered after what felt like an eternity to her. His palm on her shoulder snapped her out of wherever her mind was beginning to take her. Like a gentle push that guided her from an unfavorable path. It also helped that she could understand the words he said.

Speaking of which.

"What did you ask them?"

Luka took his hand from her shoulder.

"To make a long story shorter, my mother usually handles newcomers, but she's not available right now. It's just going to be us for the time being, unless you'd like me to get someone else to help you around for now."

Kagami shook her head. "No, I don't want you to bother anyone else. The sun hasn't risen yet, and it looks like most of the guests are still sleeping."

" 'Residents' is a more fitting description."

"Residents," she corrected herself.

He led Kagami to a wooden building, far larger than many of the residential properties, but not quite as large as some larger buildings Kagami could see in the distance. He took her inside and shut the door behind him.

She was greeted by heat as flames danced in the center of the larger room in the cabin. Sleeping cushions were lined around a firepit. Kagami wasted no time in immediately sinking to her knees and holding her hands out towards the warmth. Luka approached her with an oversized sleeping gown. Not what she'd usually wear to sleep, but far more comfortable that the clingy fabric she was wearing right now. Kagami thanked him and gratefully took the clothing.

"A fire under a wooden ceiling?" She turned to find him leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe.

Luka chuckled. Eyes lighting up from more than the bright flames.

Somehow, that alone made her feel warm in a way the fire couldn't.

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"Mama!"

The silver-haired woman turned at the sound of her son's voice. That familiar smile graced her face whenever her children return home safely from the Outside. She looked up towards his face which towered above her head and hugged him tightly. "My boy!"

They pulled back. She didn't miss the lingering essence of mist and morning dew on his clothes, and a new presence within the border of the barrier. "You're home early. And you already brought a newcomer?"

"Uh, yeah, she's at the temporary shelter right now. Look, M-"

"Perfect! We'll let her rest for now. Tell me about her. What language does she speak?"

Luka anticipated this. Anarka always went into information gathering before meeting the newcomers themselves. She meant well. She wanted to make the best first impression with everyone because it helped with the assimilation process. Kagami, however was a case Luka's never dealt with before. He wasn't sure if his mother had any experience that could help her now.

"Mother, I think she's a mage."

Mild shock and confusion crossed Anarka's features.

"Kagami, this newcomer, she can manipulate wind and water to her will. But she has as much control over her shifting abilities as Jules and I did when we were seven."

Anarka broke eye contact from him. "I see," she contemplated. "Do you know what her other form is?"

He nodded. "Dragon."

Her expression didn't change. "That doesn't explain her level of power."

They stood in silence for a few more moments. The moon was lowering and the sky slowly gained a lighter hue as they stood in contemplative silence.

"I'm sure it's been a long journey for you and this woman, son. Get some sleep. We'll resume this discussion at high-time tomorrow."

At the mere mention of rest, Luka felt a large yawn come in. His eyelids grew heavier and his body numb with weariness. The skin around his mouth stretched as he let the yawn escape.

"And don't show your fangs. It's impolite," she teased.

Luka chuckled and retracted the elongated teeth. "Sorry."

"Remember what I told you-!"

"Yeah, I know." Luka has heard countless times about his tendency to lose awareness of his own powers when he's skipped sleep. He's lost count of the amount of times his mother reminded him of the fact, and has no doubt she'll stop any time in the near future. Not that he has much to say in rebuttal. It was a fact he couldn't deny.

He glided along the trail towards his designated shelter. His room was far warmer and more humid compared to the chilled, dry night on the other side of the glass walls. He slid up the sturdy bark of the tree in the center of his private enclosure and coiled his scaley body along a series of low branches. His brilles enclosed over cyan irises, but his mind still raced. There was a lot to discuss with the Council about the Newcomer.

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Kagami never remembered falling asleep. She awoke to find her clothes dampened with sweat, her chest heaving and her chest pounding. Pushing the dark dream from her memory, she recollected where she was and how she got there. Her eyes drifted to the dark hued clothes she was given the night before, still neatly folded on the wooden floor.

She was too enthralled by the flames from the previous evening to notice the second room in the cabin. A vat of water and a small pile of absorbent cloth awaited her on the floor. The mere sight of it made her hair feel heavy and slick, and her skin begged to have the dirt scrubbed off.

As tempted as she was to scrub every inch of filth off her body, she only allowed herself to wash her hair. That alone made her feel more infinitely more refreshed than she wanted to admit.

As water dripped from her uneven ends, distant noises filled her ears. An unmistakable amalgamation of chatter and laughter and playful animal noises. Shifters walked along the trails and fields. Animals with flying capabilities took to the sky.

Children taught each other how to transform between their human and animal appearances. Delicious aromas from herbs and pots of food tickled her nose. The sun slowly dripped down from the sky, but was still quite a way from touching the horizon.

Beyond what she could see, Kagami was certain that she was only observing a fraction of what the geography of this place entailed. She was as excited as much as overwrought to see it.

It was the most at home Kagami has felt since she could remember.

"Kagami?" Luka speaking her name followed three soft knocks from the other side of the main door, pulling her from her thoughts.

She hesitated to open the door for him.

"Who is with you?"

"My mother."

Right, Luka mentioned her the night before.

"I'm going to act as your interpreter, if that's alright with you."

"Perfectly fine." Kagami pushed her sleeves down and opened the door, hair still wet and untidy from vigorously rubbing it with a drying cloth a few minutes prior. She quickly combed her fingers through the black strands and took notice of the older woman next to Luka.

Her silver hair was bound in a long, unkempt braid that draped over her shoulder. Her cloak was similar in shape to what Luka had, but lacked the scaley pattern of the one he wore. Unlike Luka's, it nearly covered her whole body with the exception of her boots and a narrow area where two hems didn't quite touch. It appeared to be made of feathers of different sizes and shapes. Each one with similar hues of black and gray speckles decorating the longer feathers.

Her skin was pale and her eyes were a fair blue, but Kagami gathered a sense of calmness from her. A trustworthy presence.

The woman started talking, but the words were foreign to Kagami. Luka paid close attention to his mother's words, then spoke in a tongue Kagami understood.

"I'm Anarka Couffaine. Surely you're already familiar with my son, Luka."

"Yes, he's been very accommodating- _You've_ been very accommodating. I can't thank either of you enough for your gratitude."

Luka sent the words back to Anarka, although she assumed he didn't include her self-interjection based on how short his response was compared to hers.

"You don't need to be formal with us here." Luka translated.

"Would you like to come in?" Kagami asked, cringing as she realized how that sounded, it wasn't her place, after all.

"Only if you'd like us to." Luka said before retelling her question to Anarka.

Kagami invited them in, the three of them taking seats at a low table.

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"When will I have to testify?" Kagami asked before Luka was able to leave. "In front of this 'Council'."

"It's not a hearing, Kagami, you're not testifying anything. To answer your question, either one or two moons after this one." Luka looked out into the night. The moon shone brightly in spite of the dark that looked on its edge.

"Are you tired, Luka?"

"Yes," he answered plainly.

"Can we walk to this place's market tomorrow?"

His cyan eyes met her warm brown ones.

"Absolutely."

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**A.N. I'm going to write a third part to this 'Intro Arc' as I've dubbed it. It's gonna be more interaction between Kagami and people she meets. My goal is to have you guys learn about this place as she does. I still have a lot of ironing out to do with the setting, how things work in the sanctuary, etc. This story is definitely a huge learning experience for me. I do hope and plan to write about more of the cast in this show and various relationships between characters, but in the context of this AU. I'm definitely gonna include Adrienette, JuleRose, DjWifi and some of my other ML ships... eventually.**

**As I've stated before, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review/write things you'd like to see or any questions you have about characters in this AU. Literally any character(s) will do, no matter how major/minor they are in the canon show. Got any ideas for a plot arc/conflict source? PLEASE write it in the reviews! I'll take literally any ideas/questions you throw at me and work them into the story/answer them one way or another.**


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